| | | | | | Haven't found a beach read yet? We've got you. The Weekender has a few from The Hollywood Reporter, including: Globes turmoil, a horror slate cold streak, an expletive-filled Paramount fight and Dr. Phil's flop. — Erik Hayden |
A Globes RevoltThe holdover voters from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that sold itself in 2023, unhappy about the termination of their pay and other perceived slights, have reconstituted the HFPA, ousted president Helen Hoehne from its board and sought the intervention of California's attorney general. Inside the fight. |
Blockbustersaurus RexTo call back to a phrase that THR first used in '93, there's still box office life in "Blockbustersaurus rex, the king of all blockbusters." Gareth Edwards' Jurassic World Rebirth is headed for at least $137 million over the five-day July Fourth corridor and north of $260 million. |
Blum's Soul-Searching All four of Jason Blum's releases this year have been major box office misses, beginning with Wolf Man ($34.1 million globally), The Woman in the Yard ($23.3 million), Drop ($28.6 million) and now M3GAN 2.0 ($21 million). There’s also a recognition that Blumhouse’s ambition to release as many as 10 titles a year theatrically may be too grand. The report. |
Inside a Pixar MissCreative shakeups, the quiet removal of queer themes, and America Ferrera’s exit — Pixar insiders reveal how Elio unraveled. Creatives at the company who saw a prior cut reveal toTHR details about the production process: "Elio just [became] about totally nothing." The feature. |
These Guys Aren't HappyAfter sending a legal threat, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone went public against Paramount's merger with David Ellison's Skydance, saying the deal is “fucking up” their show, delaying season 27 and fueling a standoff over streaming rights. The fight. |
Diddy, After the Verdict A split decision in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ case left the mogul avoiding the most serious charges — and left legal experts searching for answers. Insiders are questioning how a field with a murky past in handling abusive behavior is going to move forward: "The music industry is lawless." The report I About that verdict. |
New Rules for MediaShari Redstone and Paramount's $16 million payout over a 60 Minutes segment underscored the point. Right now, everything starts and ends with Donald Trump; everything goes through him. And the White House wields power over dealmaking decisions with the potential to transform the trajectory of a company. The view from THR, Esq.
See: The UFC is coming to The White House. Really. |
Still ProcessingIf there was going to be a revolt at 60 Minutes, as some insiders feared, a forced apology to Trump could have been a tipping point. At CBS News, there was disgust, because the $20 billion lawsuit was perceived as baseless, and relief because the months-long melodrama appears to be over. Inside the newsroom. |
Netflix's Shark AttackThe great white shark of streaming is circling Discovery’s and Nat Geo’s waters. Over this holiday weekend, National Geographic Channel’s 13th annual SharkFest debuts, beating Discovery Channel’s 37th Shark Week to the schedule. But Netflix may be outmaneuvering both with competition series All the Sharks and doc Shark Whisperer. Swimming with the fishes. |
Dr. Phil's Flop After less than two years, Phil McGraw's Merit Street Media is filing for bankruptcy and suing its distribution partner. The company cites “severely strained liquidity” and failure to secure capital as reasons for the declaration. |
7 Days of TV DEALS FX served up a season five renewal for The Bear ... Netflix canceled The Residence and Pulse but renewed Tires ... The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann is exiting the HBO series ... Bella Ramsey will star in drama series Maya at Channel 4 ... Moira Walley-Beckett is out as showrunner of Amazon’s Fourth Wing ... Jennifer Aniston joined Apple TV+ series I'm Glad My Mom Died ... Bill Burr is plotting a comedy at Fox based on the life of Earthquake ... Keanu Reeves will host a Formula 1 docuseries ... NBC is disbanding Grosse Pointe Garden Society ... ABC insists Doctor Odyssey is not canceled. Plus:
This isn't The Weekender for nothing (that's the logo, circa '91). In the spirit of that signage, here's a throwback page from that sameTHR issue, an ode to "summer's cold, potent thirst quencher." That all-caps "Margarita Perfecta."
July Fourth soundtrack: Springsteen's "Land of Hopes and Dreams." |
| | | |
